To analyze the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, surgical outcomes, and risk factors for incarceration and recurrence in children undergoing inguinal hernia repair, with a focus on differences across sex, laterality, and surgical approaches.
Key Findings:
72.2% of the cohort were male, with a median age of 2 years and 10 months.
Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 93.1% of cases.
Incarceration occurred in 4.2% and recurrence in 1.4% of children.
Females, children ≤1 year, and unilateral hernias had a higher risk of incarceration.
Male sex and age >1 year predicted recurrence, while laparoscopic technique was protective.
Laparoscopy identified synchronous contralateral hernias in 39.2% of unilateral cases, compared to only 0.9% detected during open repair.
Interpretation:
Age, sex, and hernia laterality influence clinical presentation and complication risks, with laparoscopic surgery showing better perioperative outcomes.
Limitations:
Surgical approach selection was not randomized, affecting comparison validity.
Retrospective nature may introduce selection bias.
Potential for selection bias due to non-randomized surgical approach selection.
Conclusion:
The study emphasizes individualized risk stratification and surgical decision-making in pediatric inguinal hernia repair, highlighting the advantages of laparoscopic techniques and their implications for clinical practice.
FOXC1 duplications were the second most common monogenic finding among genetically solved juvenile open-angle glaucoma cases in one registry, supporting the use of copy-number variant analysis in early-onset glaucoma testing.
